Operator for counterbalanced elevator doors



April 18, 1933. R 5 PEELLE 1,904,009

OPERATOR FOR COUNTERBALANCED ELEVATOR DOORS Filed April 5, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Apnl 18, 1933. R s PEELLE OPERATOR FOR COUNTERBALANCED ELEVATOR DOORS Filed April 5, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 lol loloumluumln- @M-XM INVENTOR April is, 19-33. R. s; PEELLE- 1,904,009

OPERATOR FOR CDUNTERBALANCED ELEVATOR DOORS M 1 a 5% a? Filed April 5, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 @MZZ K INVENTOR ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 18, 1933 UNITED STATES BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK OPERATOR FOR COUNTERBALANGED ELEVATOR DOORS Application filed April 5,

My invention relates to operators for counterbalanced elevators doors, and more particularly to an operator of the type in which each doorin an elevator shaft may be opened or closed by means of anvelectric motor located Within the shaft, means being provided whereby an electric current from a source may be selectively applied to any motor in the shaft to the exclusion of all other motors.

Elevatordoors ofthe type to which the operator of my invention is adapted to be appliedinclude two vertically and oppositely movable counterbalanced sections slidable upon a guide structure mounted upon the wall of the shaft adjacent the door openings, flexible connections extending from one of these sections to the other and passing over sheaves adjacent the lintel of the door opening and secured to the guide rail structure. The space available adjacent the shaft for the installation of such doors amounts only to a few inches, and the conditions within an elevator shaft make the installation of the doors diflic-ult and expensive since the door equipment must be adapted to the require ments of the elevator carand the structure within the shaft incidental to its operation.

In the installation of elevator door equipments, the guide structure is produced in the factory with the sheaves, tracks, stops, etc., completely and permanently assembled therein. The guide rails are bolted to the wall of the shaft, the section of the rail adjacent eachopeningbeing accurately positioned in relation to the sill of the opening I by meansof certain guide markings upon the rail structure.

With the above conditions in mind, I have produced an electric motor actuated operator, the construction ofwhich is such as to admit of the motor and'of the means of trans- 'mitting power therefrom to a sheave being mounted directly upon the rail structure while in the factory, and installed in the shaft as an incident to theinstallation of the rail structure, thus avoiding any necessity for any machine assembly work by the erection gang.

' In the construction above referred to, the

adapted to conditions determined by the 1930. Serial No. 441,913.

PATENT; o mE: v

nonnn'r s. PEELLE, or HOLLIS, new YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE PEELLE COMPANY, or

various parts are not only so constructed as p "to secure a desired speed in the movement of the door sections, even though ahigh speed motor may be used, but as' to so position the speed reducinggear train for the transmission of power from the motor to the sheave as to avoid anycuttingofthe flanges of the guide rail structure and yet bringthe motor,

the gear transmission and the sheaves within a compass avoldmg any substantial extension of any of the operator mechan1sms within the shaft beyond the guide rail structure itself. The location of the sheaves upon the guide rail structureis predetermined by the construction and typeof door, and th'e'operator motor and the transmission mechanism connecting same with the sheave, must, be door and the guide rail structure.

Withthe operator of my invention, all of the power transmission system is positioned within the thickness of the guide rail structure, and the only portion oftheoperator mechanism adjacent the door which extends 7 beyond this guide rail is a portion of the motor. By using a speed reducing mechanism, a small motor having-low H. P; may

be employed, thus limiting the extent of its projection beyond the guide rail structure.

One portion'of the gear train is locatedgbe tween the sheave and the Wall ofthe shaft,

and the other portion thereof is carried by,

upon the shaft side thereof, thusdividing the space required for this mechanism, and not only securing ample space for the diiferent gears, but adapting the gearing'to the characteristics of the guide rail structure and bringing.- all portions thereof, i excepting a small part of one gear which is attached to the sheave at one side of the guide rail structure where there can be nointerference with the operation of the door. Furthermore, by this construction, it is possible to adapt-the motor and the power transmission mechanism actuated therefrom to a guide rail structure and anarrangeme'nt of the sheave demanded by condtions other than those required by the operator.

It is GSSGIltlELl, in' an elevator doorstru'cture, not only that the construction be so simple as to practically eliminate all possibility of disarrangement of parts under normal operating conditions, notwithstanding 5 the severe usage to which said doors are subjected, but that the operator of my invention shall have thevarious parts so constructed and arranged as to require practically no attention beyond an occasional oiling and greasing-and be so assembled as to make it impossible for anyone to interfere with the proper adjustment and relation ofparts, this being determined by theassembly of the operator and the rail structure in the shop.-

The invention consists primarily in an operator for counterbalanced elevator doors embodying therein the combination with a guide rail structure within an elevator shaft, a series of elevator doors .each having sections vertically and oppositely movable on said structure, connections between said sections on the opposite sides thereof, and sheaves about which said connections pass, of an electric motor secured to said guide rail structure within the shaft, a speed reducing geartrain, the first, gear of which is connected with the shaft to said motor, and

the last gear ofwhich'. is connected directly witha sheave, a main electric power line e X- tending adjacent all of said doors, aebrancli line extending therefrom adjacent each door and connected with themotor adjacent such door, a normally open switch in each-of said branch lines adapted to be operated only "when a car is positioned adjacent said switch, pole. changing switches controlling the circuits to said main power line, electro-magnetic control mechanisms for said pole changing switches, and means whereby said control mechanisms may be selectively actuated from a remote point; and in such other novel features of construction and combination of parts as are hereinafter set forth and described, and more particularly pointed out in {t the claims hereto appended.

vReferring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a view from the shaft side of elevator doors attwo adjacent openings, said view being laterally and vertically condensed;

Fig. 2 is a view of a fragmentary portion of the guide rail structure adjacent the sheave of a door showing the motor and gear train of the operator associated'therewith:

' Fig. 3 is a view from the right of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a planview of Fig. 2; and r Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic showing of one form ofelectrical controlsystem capable of use with the operator of my invention.

Like numerals refer tol-ike parts throughout the several views.

In the embodiment of the invention shown, the operator is applied to doors c osing openings at two adjacent floors. The construc- .tion of each of these doors, the parts ap- .tion to all of the doors in the shaft.

known construction.

purtenant thereto and of the operator used in connection therewith are identical, so that a description of but one of these doors and its operator is necessary, the reference numerals being applied to the corresponding parts of the other door.

A counterbalanced door is shown 'in the drawings, although the invention is also applicable to pass type doors of different constructions, .and in fact to any door located in an elevator shaft using a plurality of counterbalanced sections, one of which moves upwardly and the other downwardly along a guide rail structure mounted in the shaft.

In the drawings, the upper door section is shown at 10. the lower section at 11 andthe chains or other flexible connections secured adjacent thebottom of the section 1 0 .and the top of the section 11, at 12. Each of'these chains 12 passes over a sheave 13 located above the upper door section .and, as will more fully appear hereinafter, secured to the guiderail structure. One end of each chain 12 is connected in the usual manner to a hanger bar 14 forming a part of the top bar structure of the lower section 11. i

The sections '10 and 11 are slidable upon tracks 15 forming a part of theguide structure, such tracks usually being carried by what is known as .a wall angle 16, one flange of which is adapted to be bolted to the wall of the building, and the other flange of which extends inwardly ofthe shaft. This guide rail structureusually extends throughout the entire hei ht of the shaft in operative rela- Its detai s may be'varied according to the detailed construction or type of the door itself. Securedto the guide rail structure, at opposite sides of each door opening, arev adjustable stopsl'l', so positioned in relation to the sill of a door opening as to bring the top bar of the lower section at rest on substantially the plane of the sill of the door opening.

Also co-operating with the hanger bar 14 are lock members 18 of an old and well The features above referred toare all old and well known in the freight elevatordoor art, and are herein shown and described as typical of a doorhaving those characteristics writers or a building department requires .doors of a certaln mmimuinthickness and a the drawings, the power from the motor is applied only to oneof thesheavesjlS, the other sheave, that shown at the left of Fig. 1, being of the usual and well known construction. This application of power to only one sheave is permissible with counterbalanced doors of narrower widths, although with heavier and wider doors the operator mechanism may be duplicated upon opposite sides of the door.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, I provide oneof the sheaves 13 with a spur gear 19, which preferably forms an integral part, and one of the shrouds, of the sheave, the chain 12- co-opcrating with this sheave being seated between this gear and the other shroud of the sheave.

The shaft 20 upon which the sheave is mounted, preferably by means of ball bear ings, is carried by a bracket 21 provided with lugs 22, by means of which it may be mounted upon a plate 23 carried by and bolted to the wall angle 16 of the guide rail structure.

The sheave 13 is positioned inwardly of the shaft in relation to the guide or track structure 15, and projects through an opening inthe plate 23 as shown in the drawings, said gear being in substantially the plane of the edge of the inwardly directed flange of the inner edge of this plate.

Also mounted in the bracket 21 is a shaft 24:, ball bearings also being used for this shaft. Carried by said shaft is a small gear 25 enmeshed with the gear 19, and a large- .gear 26 positioned between the, fitting 21 and the wall of the shaft, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. It will be noted'that this gear 26 is positioned between the sheave 13 and the wall of the shaft, or in what in the ordinary counterbalanced door construction, is' an unused space adjacent the guide rail. structure. 7

Mounted upon the top of the bracket 21 is a small motor 27 which may be .of any desired construction which will permit the reversal of its direction of rotation under suitable controls. Upon the shaft of this motor is mounted a small gear 28 enmeshed with the gear 26.

In all elevatordoors there is always ample space at the side of the guide rail struc-.

ture, and there is seldom much available space between the guide rail structure and the elevator car, although some space at this .point is always available since certain clearance is required between the platform of the car and the wall of the shaft, particularly in those installations where the fire undercertain construction to be used. a V

The type of door immediately above referred to may range from two to four inches in thickness, and the available'space adjacent the. wall of the shaft and inwardly thereof may be six or eightinches. This scribed.

limited space has offered a very serious problem, the solving of which has prevented the use of electric motor actuated operators, and when such operators have been used, they have either been what is known as penthouse operators, or have been located upon the-floor side of the'shaft and required the drilling of holes in the wallto permit the transmission of the sheaves. r

r I have heretofore developed operator of the general: type to which my present inpower applied thereto to turn it ineither direction and thus apply either 7 opening or closing movement tothe door. The specific arrangement of such a control .mechanism forms no part of my presentinvention, a1- thoughits use is essential to a successful use of the operator. I haveshown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, a diagram illustrating an electrical control device, capable of use withthe other characteristics of the operator. shown,

power from. the motor to this being a remote control including a pole i changing switch mechanism 29 in the main shaft.

I also provide in this-control mechanism a time limit switch 30, by which the duration of the actuation of the motor is determined. "At 31 I'haveshown an ordinary car switch mechanism controlling the circuits from the source 32 to theholding magnets 33-and 34 adapted to be actuated by a cam carried by the elevator car controlling the circuit from the main electric power line 36 to'the motor 27 There is a shaft switch 35 adjacenteach door opening in a shaft which controls a" branch circuit 37 to the motor 27'of the operator for thedoor at such, opening. The

shoe of the car for controlling the switch 35 is shown at 38.

This circuit control mechanism of various refinements, a description of which'is unnecessary to an understanding of the present invention, which relates 'more ofmotor actuated power transmitting means, the current tothe motorof which'is under the influence I of a "remote control general type above def mechanism of the is capable *ioo line supplying power to anymotor 27in a of the pole changing mechanism 29. At 35 I have illustrated-a shaft switch mechanism particularly to the-use, in a counterbalanced 3 F door operator, of a particular construction] 9 .tion of either the opening or the closing moveof low H; P. and of small dimensions.

- The operation of the herein described operator is substantially as follows 7 Under normal operating conditions, all doors in a shaft are closed, and it is essential that a car be located at some particular opening-before the'door at that opening can be actuated by the operator of the invention. This is controlled by the shaft switch 35 and the car cam 38. The actuation of the switch 35, however, merely permits the application of power to the motor, and its actuation alone will merely establish a condition by which other controls may be set so asto complete the circuit through this switch to the motor 27. Y The general-type of remote control shown in the drawings need be described only generally. VVhena car isbrought to rest at a door opening, the operator actuates the car switch 31, thus closing the circuit through the time limit switch 30 to the holding magnet 33 of themechanism 29. The energizing of this magne't'closes the circuit from the source 32 to the main line 36, thus completing the circuit to the motor 27. When power is appliedto. this motor, it is transmitted through the small gear 28 upon the motor shaft to the large gear 26 upon the shaft 24.

The turning of this shaft 24 transmits power through the small gear 25 carried thereby to the large gear 19 upon the sheave 13, thus turning this sheave at a low speed compared with the motor speed, hut at a speed sufficiently high to ensure a rapid opening movement of the door.

The chain 12 or other flexible connection merely frictionally engages the sheave l3, and the-results secured by the construction herein described arise solely from the fact that the two sections 10 and 11 of the door have acounterbalancing action one on the other, so that the load upon the motor is so small asto permit the utilization of'a motor The doors themselves mayweigh from four to five hundred pounds, or even more, andyet the motor '27 has only a fraction of a I-LP.

ment of the door. This is of minor importance, however, since the time limit SWliCll may be so set as to cut off the power to the motor before the door has reached either the fully opened or the fully closed position, the

imovinginertiaof the counterbalanced door sections completing either the opening or the closing movement without the application of power thereto.

In the event of the failure of the time limit switch, however, the engagement of the hanger bar 14 on the lower door section with the stops'l'? relieves the chain upon one side of the sheave and connected with said hanger A bar, from the load of this section and causesslippage of the sheave in relation to the chains, notwithstanding the. continued application of power to the sheave. This, however, is a mere precautionary feature.

When the two sections come together upon the closing movement, the same slippage will occur since the chain upon the other side of the .sheave will be relieved of the load of the upper section. I The main advantage-of the frictional engagement between the chains and the motor actuated sheave, is'that in the event of the failure of any motor from any reason whatsoever, the door may still be operated man- U ually, the chain either having slippage in relation to its sheave, or actuating the speed reducing mechanism and the motor so as to permit the free opening or closing movement of the door.

Because of this condition, no interruption of the elevator service need result from the failure of the operator as to any door in the shaft, and the failure of any one operator will not require any servicing as to any of the other operators. mote controls, the only servicing required is as'to' that control, and during such servicing the elevator service may be maintained and access may be had therefrom to any floor of the building doors. 7

Byreason of this capability of the operator, none of the clutch or other mechanisms, usuby themanual actuation of the If the trouble be in the really provided for the purpose of permitting the operator to be made inoperative in relation to all of the doors in a shaft, is required. The locking members 18, whether in the form shown in the invention, or in any other desired form, areemployed to prevent the,

opening of a door from the floor side of a shaft at all times excepting when an elevator car is opposite the opening closed by the door to be opened, and hence these locks cooperate with the operator of the invention in prevent-,.

ing manual operation of the doors from the floor of a building which, except for such locks, might be possible with the construction of operator described. I

-As stated above, the time limit switch controls the circuit 'tothe-holding magnet for a predetermined interval at the expiration of which the circuit to the motor will be automatically interrupted by this switch. The time limit switch is included only in the circuit closed for the purpose of opening the door, the switch mechanism for applying power to the motor for closing the door being a positive pressure switch, or One in which the operator must maintain the switch in the closed position during the full closing movement of the door'excepting for that move ment as a result of the moving inertia of the two sections above referred-to.

The manner of supporting the motor, the speed reducing power transmission gearing and the sheave, by, and in a predetermined relation to, the guide rail structure, are matters of primary im ortance, and as this has been heretofore pointed out, it is desired to merely add that the construction and arrangement of parts hereinreferred to, is such as to secure a ratio of speed of the sheave and ofthe motor shaft to impart the desired rate of travel of the door section during the opening and closing of the door, by a mechanism 7 located in its entirety within the limited space available, and without any modification whatever in the guide rail or the door structure excepting the addition to the sheave 13 of the gear 19 and a change inthe construction of the support for this sheave, or the substitution of the bracket 21 for the usualrsheave housing.

It is not my intention to limit the invention to the precise details of construction shown in the drawings, it being apparent that such may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

While in the drawings, I have shown the use of a single motor operative upon one sheave only, it is obvious that this mechanism may be duplicated upon opposite sides of the door if desired.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent, is

w 1. An operator for counterbalanced elevator doors embodying therein the combination with a guide rail structure within an elevator shaft, a series of elevator doors each having sections vertically and oppositely movable on said structure, connections between said sections on the opposite sides thereof, and sheaves about which said connections pass, of an electric motor secured to said guide rail structure within the shaft, a speed reducing gear train, the first gear of which is connected with the shaft to said motor, and the last gear of which is connected directly with a sheave, a main electric power line extending adjacent all of said doors, a branch line extending therefrom adjacent each door and connected with the motor ad j acent such door, a normally open switch in each of said branch lines adapted to be operated only when a car is positioned adjacent said switch, pole changing switchescontrol-v ling the circuits to said main power line, electro-magnet1c control mechanisms for said pole changing switches, and manually opera-' tive switch"me"cha nisms controlling the circuits to'the windings of the-magnets of said control mechanisms whereby said control mechanisms may be'selectively actuated from remote point."

operator for counterbalanced elevator doors embodying therein-thecombination with a guide rail structure within an elevator shaft, a series of "elevator doors each having sections vertically and oppositely movable on said structure, connections between said sections on the opposite sides thereof, and sheaves about which said connections pass, of a bracket in which said sheave is mounted secured to said guide rail structure, a large gear carried by said sheave, a shaft counter to the shaft of said sheave and having a small gear thereon enmeshed with said gear carried by the sheave, and a'large gear thereon positioned between said sheave and the wall of the shaft, a motor supported by said bracket, a small gear upon the shaft of said motor enmeshed with said large gear, a

main electric power line extending adjacent all of said doors, a branch line extending therefrom adjacent each door and connected with the motor adjacent such door, a normal-e 3. An operator for counterbalanced elevator doors embodying therein the combina tion with a guide rail structure within an elevator shaft, a series of elevator doors each having sections vertically and oppositely movable on said structure, connections be-, tween said sections on the opposite sides thereof, and sheaves about which said connections pass, ofa bracket in which said sheave is mounted secured to said guide rail structure, a large gear carried by said sheave, a shaft counter to the shaft of said sheave and hav- 7 ing a small gear thereon enmeshed with said gear carried by the sheave, and a large gear thereon positioned between said sheave'and the'wall of the shaft, a motor mounted upon the top of said bracket above said sheave, a small gear upon the shaft of said motor enmeshed with said large gear, a main electric power line extending adjacent all of said doors, a branch line extending therefrom adj acent' each door and connected with the motor adjacent such door, a normally open switch ineach of said branch lines adapted to be operated only when a car is positioned adjacent said switch, pole changing switches controlling the circuits to said main power line, electro-magnetic vcontrol mechanisms for said pole changing switches, and manually joperative switch mechanisms contl clling the circuits to the windings cfthe magnets of said control mechanisms whereby said control mechanisms may be selectively actuated from .a remote point. 7

In witness whereof I have hereunto aflixed mysignature, this 31st day of March, 1930.

ROBERT S. PEELLE. 

